[ male announcer ] get a new kindle fire hd, plus a free custom cover, and a free $25 amazon.com gift card. this is a limited-time offer, and you won't find it anywhere else. kindle fire is amazing. it's a life-changer. [ male announcer ] go online to order now. from new york city, this is "nightline" with cynthia mcfadden. good evening, and thank you for joining us, we begin with a terrifying event in atlanta today, screaming children flooding out of their elementary school. a gunman inside with a weapon, a scene harkening back to the tragedy that happened in newtown, connecticut. today, thankfully, no one was hurt. but as children all over the country head back to school, questions abound.

how did an armed young man stroll into an elementary school, and why? >> reporter: they are images no parent wants to see, and they're frighteningly familiar, desperate teachers here at the discovery learning academy outside of atlanta, rushing the young children, single file, away from danger. and inside the elementary school, a young man with a gun loose. >> we suspected he came in as somebody authorized to be there. >> reporter: it was only the second week of school when the familiar scene unfolded. he entered around 1:00 p.m., carrying an ak-47 knock off and a number of other alleged weapons. the police say it is michael arrested for aggravated assault on a police officer, terroristic threats and possession of a

firearm by a felon. his connection to the school is unclear, he approached the scol. >> when he came in the door, he came in the door with the gun drawn. and so when me and the other teacher was looking, he said i'm not playing. this is for real, this is not a show. >> reporter: shots were fired, thankfully with nobody injured. young students were rushed, many ran away from danger. police stormed the building. in a bizarre twist, the gunman asked antoinette to call our local abc affiliate. >> she said she was in the school and that the gunman was there and that he wanted channel 2 news to come to the school. >> i got to the first number, i called channel 2, and he said tell them this, tell them to get out here. >> i asked why he wanted channel 2 to come, and she said he wants you to start filming as police officers die.

>> he was going to end his life and take all the cops and everybody with him. >> and i knew then that she was -- you know, completely serious. i said does he have a gun, and she said yes. and then she paused and said visible. i was scared for her. she said he wants me to tell you that he doesn't care if he dies. >> he had a look on him that he was willing to kill, as a matter of fact, he said it. he said he didn't have any reason to live. and that he knew he was going to die today. he actually tried to go out the door where the kids were. and i called him back and kept talking to him to keep him calm to stay inside with me. because i knew that if he got outside that he was going to start shooting the kids. he had already shot off a round in the office with me. >> reporter: when the police arrived, the gunman fired at the officers. >> when we received the call, we engaged. he started to fire inside the school at our officers. what we knew right away is that he had one or two of the staff

members inside the main office. >> they fired back, shattering a glass window at the entrance of the school. >> he possibly fired as many as anywhere from a half a dozen shots. when he fired out of the building at the police officers that were approaching the scene. and when officers had a clear shot they returned fire. >> reporter: but antoinette was able to convince him to drop the gun. >> i told him to put the gun down on the table. empty his pockets, put everything he brought into the school. because he brought a gun back, a book bag, he brought a bunch of ammunition in there, magazine clips. he put it all down on the kltser. and then i told him to lay on the floor, then he said okay, tell him i'm on the floor. >> reporter: no one was injured and the alleged shooter is in custody tonight. for parents waiting anxiously, the scene was chaotic, family members waited at the local

walmart to be reunited with the children. when the buses arrived, parents cheered and students waved. parents began to question how a shooter could get into their child's school. >> very emotional, i'm just wondering how did the person get into the school. when i go to the school to take them to school i have like five minutes sometimes ringing the bell to get into the school. and this person just walked right off the street and came into the school. >> it is a feeling you can't describe. unless you have kids you can't describe it. it is -- it don't make sense. it just doesn't make sense. >> i hope that they come back for you. >> reporter: it is sad, i really don't know what to say. because it is so frightening. you just send your children to school and don't know if they return home or what is waiting for them. >> reporter: a very thankful superintendent of schools worked the crowds. >> it is a blessed day, a terrible situation, but at the same time we are so blessed and

pleased that all of our children are safe. all of our employees are safe. >> reporter: police found a car that the shooter parked right in front of the school. >> when our k-9 dogs hit one of the vehicles, we suspected there may have been a type of explosives in the vehicle. >> reporter: the bomb unit had to breach the trunk to check for explosives. none were found. the scene was similar to the sandy hook shooting last year in newtown, connecticut, where 26 were killed, there were at least eight cases where shooters have been on school campuses since newtown. with the school year just beginning, many are being more cautious, bullet proof backpacks are being sold to protect young children. and a university in maryland has invested in white boards to protect the children. he said there is nothing like safe kids. >> you hear a gun in the school, you instantly think of other

tragedies. it is where your mind goes right away. we're in a crazy time with a lot of crazy people. so -- just hug your kids tight, tell them you love them, all the time. >> reporter: tonight, children are telling the story of how they hid under desks when they heard the gunfire. despite what happened they're back to school in the morning. for "nightline," in decatur, georgia. so glad everybody is safe, this time. next, violence erupts in egypt. >> abc "nightline" brought to you by geico. is? uhh, it's my geico insurance id card, sir. it's digital, uh, pretty cool right? maybe. you know why i pulled you over today? because i'm a pig driving a convertible?

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president obama huddled with his national security team today, amid speculation that the administration may curtail the $1.5 billion that the united states provides to egypt in light of the crackdown after more than a thousand people were killed this month. chief correspondent martha raddats has more. >> reporter: good evening from cairo, this is the first interview that egypt's prime minister has done since the military's presidential crackdown on its own people. it has been the most violent week in the modern history of egypt. a military crackdown that has pushed this country to the edge

of civil war, leaving one of america's great allies in this region awash in blood. last month, i witnessed peaceful protests here. when i returned yesterday, i found a country with scars that will take decades to heal. it began with the military ousting of mohammed morsi, egypt's first-ever democratically elected president and the leader of the muslim brotherhood party. morsi supporters refused to stop demonstrations, despite threats from the military. which moved in last wednesday to crush them. more than a thousand people have been killed. thousands more injured in the past week, the military intervention sparked outrage in the u.s. and across the world. fors first time, we got an explanation from the interim prime minister. the world has seen the pictures,

900, a thousand dead in the pro-morsi camps? >> i am not sure you have seen the true pictures. >> do you wish that initial assault had gone differently? that there was too much force? >> we announced it, telling them this cannot continue. it is bad. we are open for dialogue. but they insisted. and they had weapons. and it was discovered. they used weapons. i am not claiming that our police are very disciplined 100%, but i claim that by and large they abide by their regulations. >> all of this recent violence, a stark contrast to the jubilant scene just two and a half years ago, when tahrir square was occupied by young and defiant egyptian protesters dissatisfied by their government.

they celebrated when mubarak and his regime were toppled. he was sentenced to life in prison. in another sign of the complete upheaval taking place in egypt right now? there is a story that mubarak may be freed? >> i understand that the judge has acquitted him from some of the accusations. we respect our justice department. and whatever they -- and we would like this to be taken as a sign that we would go along with the rule of law. >> reporter: that sentiment is not shared widely in egypt. >> the government in place is only a facade for mubarak. >> reporter: i met a young egyptian who was shot during the military take-over. he represents egypt's brightest,

graduating from ohio state university. >> we're going to continue to go out on the streets, go out and protest, best we can. >> reporter: and die? >> if we have to die so that the next generation can live freely, then so be it. >> reporter: the revolution, two and a half years ago that toppled hosni mubarak promised so much hope for egypt. people went to the polls for the first time and mohammed morsi was elected to rule the country. he promised to fix egypt's economic woes. but the country deteriorated under morsi's rule. >> i want to send a message to the president of egypt, mohammed morsi. you are not welcome here. please get out. earlier this summer, millions of egypts took to the street again to protest their government within days, the military had overthrown morsi and arrested

him. >> this is the moment we have been waiting for. we have been waiting for this moment. >> reporter: masses of egyptians supported the army's decision to oust morsi. but it was just a few miles away where those pro-morsi protesters set up camp ignoring the military's warnings. >> no country will allow to have a part of the military taking the streets. >> reporter: but they were ki killed for doing that. >> we didn't provoke it. we asked them to go free. we started by only throwing tear gas, and they answered back by firing. >> reporter: despite being one of america's allies, the prime minister knows america is now considering cutting off more than a billion dollars in aid to egypt. what if the u.s. cuts off military aid? >> this will be a very bad sign.

it will definitely affect the military for sometime. but don't forget that egypt went with the russian military supporter for decades. and then we survived. and so there is no end to life. you can live with different circumstances. >> reporter: but just how egypt, one of the world's oldest existing civilizations will move beyond this is the question no one seems to have real answers to. >> either those people win, or the army continues to kill more people because every free egyptian will remain on the street because every household in egypt now has been affected by the massacres that have taken place in egypt. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm martha raddatz, in cairo. >> our thanks to martha raddatz

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raddatz, radd . in tonight's "feed frenzy," if you want a friend in washington, get a dog. according to legend, that was president harry truman's take on things in the nation's capitol. and today, we can't help wondering if president obama is feeling a little down about the trouble he continues to have with congress. and the first family has announced a new dog for the white house, her name is sunny, a portugese water dog, just like the first dog. the first lady said he didn't have enough dog interaction, but didn't mention the president was looking for a new pal. as for what sunny can expect, it is a good life. sometimes the press can get first pets down. remember when george bush's dog

let this reporter know just what he thought of that question. but one thing is constant. every u.s. president has had at least one pet. because when a person is a friend, he knows who he can count on. the first president practically had a zoo, yes, george washington was the proud owner of many stallions, even a parrot, in addition to several dogs. welcome, sunny, may you spread some cheer. we can hope. thank you for watching "nightline," as always, we're on line at abcnews.com. for all of us here at abc news, good night, america.

"nsider," the top trending stories you need to know -- they yanked me out of the car. it was scary.

>> dick van dyke afteromg! i ch death after his car burst into flames. dick's wife's video of the charred remains and we have the hero that pulled the 87-year-old out. >> i pulled him really hard. moving on after this star's suicide. then -- >> are you shooting finn's episode yet? >> cory's "glee" death scene and the new memoir. >> is lea holding up kay? and a star after losing his dad. >> i still get choked up talking about dad. and "modern family's" o jes tyler ferguson takes us to a wedding in the sky. and the star-studded i-dos. >> the vows. >> rst dance. >> and her rock 'n' roll surprise. now, where yahoo! and broadcast meet for 24/7 access to celebrity news "omg! insider." dick van dyke pthe fi from fiery car making the show biz legend a social media sensation at 87. hello, everyone, i'm kevin

frazier and theulledews is off tonight and christina mclarty joins me. an interesting player in all this dick's wife arlene, she's half his age, by the way,a andr role did she play into turning this into a top trending story and we're with the good samaritan that pulled dick from the marriage. the actor's close call is ding now. >> after dick van dyke's car explodes in flames. >> i thought he had passed out, tren they yanked me out of the car. >> tv icon dick van dyke pulled from his burning car. >> then it started smoking and then it burnso a crisp. >> tmz with the after moments after the incident and we have the motorist who rescued him. >> i'm just glad we got the guy out of the cared toegardless ofo it was. >> pulled over when he saw the burning jaguar on the 101 freeway. >> i ran out to the car. and i saw somebody? there. and i r opened the door. >> the actor's 41-year-old wife rushed to the scene and posted this video that went viral.